Weekend Previews: There are too many unknowns about Meath right now
STEP UP: Patrick McBrearty will have to step up for Donegal. Pic: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
It’s in these initial stages where we see just how much work teams have been doing in pre-season. Armagh were hot out of the traps last year and word is they have a good body of physical work behind them. Vinny Corey, as much as he has been part of the camp, will need time to settle in. An away win looms.
Armagh
Pádraic Joyce may be down two All-Stars in Liam Silke (working abroad) and Shane Walsh (holiday) as well as Kieran Molloy but he is still able to put together a strong Galway team. There will be the odd occasion during this league where Kevin McStay will want to cool expectations but he won’t want to do it here on his opening night. A good tussle in order.
Draw.
Next to playing Dublin in Croke Park, this is the toughest first round clash Limerick could get in Division 2. Derry have shown in the McKenna Cup that they start as they mean to go on. That being said, Limerick have a strong core to their team and should be competitive.
Derry.
Who knows what type of team Dessie Farrell is going to field but you imagine he has to develop his panel with what he hopes will be a nine-game championship in mind. Kildare gave fine accounts of themselves last year despite being demoted with Dublin. They did beat The Blues and Glenn Ryan doesn’t do moral victories but he might be left short-changed here.
Dublin.
Longford may have had it easier than they anticipated against Louth last weekend but the momentum from a hearty O’Byrne Cup can carry over into the start of their league run.
Longford
Both teams are without some key players but it’s with renewed hope that Down travel south under the management of Conor Laverty. They looked a far more cohesive outfit during the McKenna Cup and Tipperary will be wary.
Down
Retaining more or less the same panel as last year, Niall Carew feels Carlow are in a better place than they were this time last year. Just knowing more about themselves should count as Oisín McConville runs the rule over his new side.
Carlow
Not as easy to call when London haven’t shown much form and Wexford were experimenting during the O’Byrne Cup. The Exiles have a win or two in them but this result should favour the hosts.
Wexford
Two teams with promise and plenty of hope for the coming season but Kildare probably have more talent at their disposal.
Kildare
Mayo are under pressure after losing at this venue to Cork in Round 1. Kerry got out of jail in squeezing a win over Waterford last day out but they mightn’t be so fortunate in the dome.
Mayo
Both teams were disappointing on opening weekend and don’t want to find themselves suddenly in a relegation battle. Meath to make the long trip to the north-west worthwhile.
Meath
Given that three of the Division 1 teams are in action a week after the league including Roscommon, does that narrow the contenders to the 2021 All-Ireland champions, Donegal, Galway, Kerry and Monaghan? Tyrone have so much to prove after falling flat on their faces defending their title last season. Roscommon will be feisty and renewed under new manager Davy Burke but Tyrone to lay down a marker.
Tyrone
It may be a weakened team Jack O’Connor has for this trip but there is enough quality to come away with something from Ballybofey. Donegal looked out of sorts during the McKenna Cup and while Paddy Carr deserves time and space to assess his options he will appreciate it’s a results business. In the first game since Michael Murphy’s retirement, Paddy McBrearty and Ryan McHugh will be asked to step up to the plate. But it’s a yawning gap he’s left. Kerry to claim a point.
Draw
It seems quite the contented camp in Cork right now but obviously that has to translate to the field beyond winning the McGrath Cup if people are to truly believe it. There are too many unknowns about Meath right now to believe they can head back up the M8 with a point or two.
Cork
Was it with this tester in mind that Louth were below par in the O’Byrne Cup final last Saturday? With both sides aiming to finish in the top half to give themselves the best chance of Sam Maguire Cup football this summer, it’s bound to be a cagey affair. Sam Mulroy and Conor Grimes are matchwinners but there will no red carpet treatment from Clare for the newcomers.
Clare.
It’s very possible these two who squared off in last year’s Tailteann Cup will do so again in a Division 3 final come the start of April. But who gets the headstart to that stage is the question here. Cavan should have benefitted more from their preseason competition efforts.
Cavan
Andy McEntee and Liam Kearns begin their new journeys with their respective counties and as much as the O’Byrne Cup victory over Dublin came with an asterisk in that the Blues was a C or D team, it will have given Offaly a boost.
Offaly
Waterford struggled during the McGrath Cup and they are facing a team with nothing on their minds but promotion.
Leitrim
Year three of the Tony McEntee project starts here and Sligo can begin the campaign with a hard-earned two points.
Sligo
Tough Januarys for both teams but Down to finish the month on a high.
Down
Two satisfying wins for this pair in the first round, although Dublin's was the more impressive. It’s they who should retain their 100% record by the full-time whistle.
Dublin
Waterford are bound to have an edge after being robbed by Kerry but Cork can back up their fine win in Mayo.
Cork
Tyrone
Laois
Armagh
Tipperary
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